Diets with high levels of saturated fats are known to raise blood cholesterol and to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. It is therefore desirable to decrease the amount of saturated fats in consumer products. U.S. Pat. No. 8,153,391 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,357,503, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety, describe exemplary saturase enzymes that are useful in hydrolyzing saturated fatty acid residues from triacylglycerol sources to obtain low saturate oils.
In certain aspects, it is desirable to subject the hydrolyzed low saturate oil to enzymatic degumming in order to remove the phospholipids and trace metals in order to produce a desired oil with a long shelf life. It is important to recover the oils efficiently and cost effectively, particularly, when the processes are conducted on a pilot plant scale or industrial scale.
Certain emulsifiers used to facilitate the hydrolyzation process can interfere in the recovery of the low saturate oil using caustic refining at the end of hydrolyzation and/or degumming processes. Therefore, there is a need to develop a process for cost efficient production of a low saturate oil composition from a triacylglycerol source.